www.eastside-online.org
Vol. 48 No. 7
Cherry Hill High School East: 1750 Kresson Road, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003
I believe.
■ By Jacob Borowsky (‘16)
Eastside Sports Editor
For the first time in the history of Cherry Hill East, the Cougars varsity basketball team won its first sectional championship on March 11, 2014, with a 52-41 rout of the Cherokee Chiefs. Despite missing nearly half of the senior class due to the senior trip, East’s fan section, affectionately named the “Countrymen,” generated a massive attendance which dwarfed Cherokee’s fan section and provided the motivation the Cougars needed to pull out the win. When asked beforehand about the keys to winning the game, star point guard Jake Silpe (‘15) said, “[Cherokee] does a lot of driving kick offense. Everyone on the team can shoot threes and span the floor. That’ll be a challenge for us, but I think we have what it takes to win.” Silpe managed the entirety of the game, putting up an overwhelming 23 points, 6 assists and 7 rebounds, with 2 steals to boot. After back-and-forth play throughout the first quarter, East held a 1410 lead, but because of scrappy Cherokee defense, East was only able to score 2 points in the second. The score was 18-16 Cherokee at halftime. As the third quarter commenced, the Chiefs appeared to be carrying the same momentum that they had in the second quarter, as they took a 22-17 lead over the Cougars. However, East did not lose confidence, and after the teams exchanged fouls, Silpe hit a huge three-pointer to give East a 28-24 lead. After the third, East led 30-24. The Cougars ran away with the game in the fourth quarter with help from two monumental threes from Austin Wetzler (’14) and Phil Cunha (’14) and perfect 14-for-14 foul shooting from Silpe. East’s defense was dominant all game, as was obvious from Cherokee’s meager 6-point third quarter. Cherokee wasn’t just missing shots; the team could not even get shots off before many of its possessions ended. The Countrymen stormed the court as time expired.
April 2014
Coach Dave Allen said he knew the team had a great chance to beat Cherokee after coaching the team to victory over Eastern the game before. He said the team edged out the Chiefs due to its great defensive play. “Against Cherokee, we wanted to try and limit their two top scorers,” Allen said. “Austin Wetzler (’14) and Phil Cunha (’14) did a great job limiting their scoring.” Although confident the team would win, Allen said the experience was still “surreal.” He attributed much of the team’s success to former East basketball coach John Valore’s many years as coach of the team. “Coach Valore built this program. The team had been so close, so many times – getting over the hump was a victory for Valore, the school and the players,” Allen said. Before the season, Allen said that the team’s goal was to reach its potential. He said he expected success if each and every player committed himself to the program. After the win, Allen believes the team far surpassed these expectations. “The team definitely overachieved this year,” Allen said. “We only had two players back with any type of varsity experience, Silpe and Wetzler, so to play at the level that we did all year long definitely surpasses all expectations for the team.” For next season, Allen expects the same product he saw this year. “Next year we’re just going to try and do the same thing. We are going to play the game with respect and exceed all expectations—whatever they may be—again,” Allen said. As for his recent personal victory, receiving the Courier Post’s award for South Jersey’s Coach of the Year, Allen expressed the same humility and gratitude he has shown all season long. “Coaches only win these types of awards because of the players. The players stayed focused and determined to succeed this March. We played our best basketball of the entire year in March. Because of the way they played, I was able to receive the honor,” Allen said. “It’s really a program honor, though – you can’t win it without the players.” Photo by Emma Wooten (‘17)/ Eastside Staff
Inside This Issue
Students shoot for environmental sustainability News/Features, Pg. 3
New restaurant in Moorestown is on point Community, Pg. 5
New spinoff intends to score many viewers Entertainment, Pg. 14